Improvement in rail-joints



J. D. SMITH.

RAIL JOINTS.

Patented June 27,1876.

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JOSEPH D. SMITH, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAIL-JOINTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 179,363, dated J une27, 1876 application filed J une 2, 1876. e

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Josnrn D. SMITH, of Rockford, in the county ofWinnebago and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Railroad-Joint Fastening; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to railroad-joint fastenings; and it consists in afish-bar provided with elongated bolt-holes and exterior ribs, so as tobe moved laterally to bring the ribs against the nuts and lock them, andthe fishbar then held by keys passing through notches in the fish-barand foot of rail, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the annexed drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my invention.Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same.

A A represent the two ends of two adjoining railroad-rails, with anordinary fish-bar, B, on one side. 0 O are the bolts passing throughthis fish-bar and the rails. On the opposite side of the rails is afish-bar, D, having elongated bolt-holes or slots a a, through which theends of the bolts 0 project. E E are the nuts screwed on the ends of thebolts 0. On the outer surface of the fish-bar D are formed ribs b b,which may be either vertical, as shown, or at any other desired angle.

After the nuts E have been screwed up the fish-bar D is moved laterallyuntil the ribs b come against the nuts E and prevent their turning. Whenin this position one or more notches, w, in the bottom flange ot' thefish-bar will coincide with similar notches in the foot of the rails,and keys or spikes G are driven through the same into the tiesunderneath. The nuts are thus securely locked in position, and cannot beturned until the keys G are first removed, and then the fish-bar D movedlatorally to bring the ribs 1) away from the nuts.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The fish-bar D, provided with elongated bolt-holes a and ribs b, incombination with the rails A, bolts O, and nuts E, substantially as andfor the purposes herein set forth.

2. The combination of the rails A, bolts 0, nuts E, fish-bar D, withelongated bolt-holes a and ribs 1), and the keys G,all substantially asand for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH D. SMITH.

Witnesses:

F. GRAHAM, Jr., BYRON GRAHAM.

